How to use the Ditto utility

  • A user must have (or be a member of a group that has) the daDittoAll permission in order to use the Edit>Ditto>All Fields (SHIFT+F9) option.
  • EMu can be configured so that some fields are excluded when you copy all fields from the Ditto record.
  • Read-only fields and Security tab fields are overwritten when Ditto>All Fields is selected, but not when Ditto>Current Tab is selected.
  • Unique-value fields (IRN, for example) cannot be copied because the value can not be used in more than one record.
  • See Recent List Length Registry entry for details about specifying the maximum number of records to be stored as Ditto records in the Ditto box.

With the Ditto tool it is possible to copy data from:

  • One field in a record into the same field in another record.
  • A tab in a record into the same tab in another record.
  • All fields in a record into another record.

The Ditto record is the record currently selected to have its data copied into a new or existing record.

Tip: The Update on Save option automatically flags the last record saved as the current (active) Ditto record. See below for details.

A number of records can be flagged as Ditto records, although only one can be the current (active) Ditto record. When you flag a record as a Ditto record, it is listed in the Ditto box.

If the record you wish to use as the Ditto record has not already been added to the Ditto box:

  1. Search for and select a record.
  2. Select Edit>Ditto>Use Current Record for Ditto (CTRL+F9) from the Menu bar.

    The record becomes the current Ditto record and is added to the Ditto box.

    To view the Ditto box (if necessary), select Edit>Ditto>Select Ditto Record from the Menu bar.

If the record you wish to use as the Ditto record has already been added to the Ditto box:

  1. Open a module.
  2. Select Edit>Ditto>Select Ditto Record from the Menu bar to display the Ditto box.
  3. In the Ditto box, select the record to be the current Ditto record if it appears in the list

    -OR-

    If the record does not appear in the list:

    1. Click New.

      A new module opens in Search mode. Search for the record.

    2. Click Attach Current Record Attach Current Record in the module Tool bar to add the record to the Ditto box.
  4. Click OK.

    The selected record becomes the current (active) Ditto record.

Tip: To remove a record from the Ditto box, select the record, click Discard Discard, and click Yes from the message that displays.

First specify which record is the Ditto record:

  1. Select a record from the Ditto box

    -OR-

    Search for and select a record.

  2. Add a new record or search for and open the record to be edited.

    Note: When you copy fields from a Ditto record to another record, you overwrite data in the other record. For example, copying all fields from a tab in the Ditto record will overwrite all fields on the same tab in the other record: a blank field in the Ditto record will overwrite a field with data in the other record.

  3. You can copy all or some of the data from the Ditto record to the new or existing record:

    To copy data from one field of the Ditto record to the same field in the new or existing record:

    1. Place the cursor in the field in the record in which to copy the Ditto record field data.
    2. Select Edit>Ditto>Current Field (F9) from the Menu bar.

    To copy data from a tab in the Ditto record to the same tab in the new or existing record:

    1. Select the tab to which you wish to copy data.
    2. Select Edit>Ditto>Current Tab (SHIFT+CTRL+F9).

    To copy all data from the Ditto record to the new or existing record

    1. Select Edit>Ditto>All Fields (SHIFT+F9) from the Menu bar.

When a record is selected to be a Ditto record it is added to the Ditto box. By default, Ditto records are assigned a temporary status and will be replaced when the number of Ditto records that can be saved as Ditto records has been exceeded.

To add a record permanently to the Ditto list:

  1. Open a module.
  2. Select Edit>Ditto>Select Ditto Record to display the Ditto box.
  3. In the Ditto box, select the Ditto record that you wish to make permanent.
  4. Click Properties Properties to display the Properties box:

    Ditto properties box

  5. Select the Permanent radio button.
  6. Click OK.

    The record is marked as permanent in the Ditto box and will remain in the list until manually removed.

The Update on Save option automatically flags the last record saved as the current (active) Ditto record.

To activate the Update on Save option:

  1. Open a module.
  2. Select Edit>Ditto>Update on Save from the Menu bar.

    A tick displays to indicate that this option has been activated:

    Ditto Menu

    Note: To deactivate the Update on Save option, repeat Step 2. The tick is removed.